Assessment of the distribution of working time of epidemiologists in medical organizations for the performance of various functional duties

Abstract

The aim of this study is to evaluate the distribution of working time among epidemiologists in healthcare organizations regarding their various functional responsibilities.
Materials and methods. A survey was conducted with the participation of 418 specialists, the method of confidence intervals was used.
Results. The majority of respondents, between 92% and 93%, consider infection prevention to be their most important task. However, only 60% to 67% prioritize their work in organizing and conducting microbiological monitoring. Overall, organizational and methodological work receives considerable attention, with an average of 75.1% dedicating between 1 to 5 hours per week to this aspect, while 12.3% spend between 6 to 9 hours, and 12.5% invest more than 10 hours per week. There is also ample focus on consultative work, as 84.6% of respondents spend between 1 to 5 hours weekly, while 6.8% devote 6 to 9 hours, and 8.4% invest more than 10 hours in this area. Additionally, the control functions are adequately fulfilled, with 85.6% of respondents conducting audits in healthcare facilities. On average, 76.9% allocate 1 to 5 hours per week to ensuring compliance with sanitary and epidemiological regulations, while 11.6% dedicate 6 to 9 hours, and 11.4% spend over 10 hours on it. However, there is insufficient time devoted to analytical work, as 76.7% only allocate 1 to 5 hours per week to this important function, which is crucial for infection prevention.
Conclusion. More than 10 hours per week should ideally be dedicated to analytical tasks by all respondents, highlighting a gap that could impact efforts in infection prevention.